How to be a dog's best friendSEND YOUR POOCH TO CAMP

When your dog needs a break - or you need a break from your dog - send him to pet camp. Spread across 500 rolling, well-maintained acres, this doggie hotel has first-class rooms converted from old horse stalls) with windows and wooden beds, and daily maid service. There's space for about 40 dogs at a time, more if pets from the same family bunk together. Activities include daily

walks (with and without a leash), group play, Frisbee-catching, and swimming. "We found that New York dogs in particular go home and collapse after they get through here," says owner Chuck Elmes with a laugh. They pick up and deliver in New York, too. (380 Bart Bull Road, Middletown, N.Y.; 845-692-2922; thepetcamp.com. *From $26 per night for one dog; two dogs from $38 a night; plus tax. Pick-ups and drop-off $60 to $90 for transporttion.)

Two Levels of Pooch Pampering

VACATION

Ten days’ boarding at the Pet Camp, an upstate retreat for dogs on a 400-acre estate (*$26 per night, plus about $60-$90 for transporttion; 845-692-2922).

*Rates updated to current fees

The alternative to dog boarding and kennels. Serving Orange County, Rockland County, Westchester County, Northern New Jersey and New York City.